Calling all
micropaleontologists!

The W. Storrs Cole Memorial Research Award was established in 1989
to support research in invertebrate micropaleontology. It was not awarded
this year due to a lack of qualified applications. The stipend for this
award in 2000 was $9,500 and will be the same in 2001. The award is given
to a Geological Society of America member or fellow between 30 and 65 years
of age who has published one or more significant papers on micropaleontology.

Information and application forms may be requested from Grants, Awards
and Medals Program Officer, Geological Society of America, P.O. Box 9140,
Boulder, CO 80301, by e-mail at
lcarter@geosociety.org or from www.geosociety.org.

All applications must be postmarked on or before Feb. 1, 2001.

A Grand Award

The Geological Society of America awarded Joel L. Pederson of Utah State
University in Logan, Utah, the 2000 Gladys W. Cole Memorial Research Award
for his post-doctoral research on the Grand Canyon. The award, established
in 1980, carries a stipend of $11,500. It supports research of the geomorphology
of semi-arid and arid terrains in the United States and Mexico.

Though there has been 130 years of geomorphic research on the landscape
evolution of the Grand Canyon region, “with new tools and approaches we
are continuing to piece together the story of the erosion of this fantastic
place,” Pederson says.

He is working on a suite of Pleistocene stream terraces in the eastern
Grand Canyon. Pederson’s research will provide updated rates of incision
of the Canyon, clarify what has controlled and affected erosion in the
area, and address problems in geomorphology of what stream terraces mean
and how they can be used, he says. “At the large scale, results are bringing
into focus the emerging picture of an eastern and a western Grand Canyon
with distinctly different Quaternary landscape histories.”

Through the generosity of the late W. Storrs Cole, the Gladys W. Cole
Memorial Research Award is given to a GSA member or fellow between 30 and
65 years of age who has published one or more significant papers on geomorphology.
Funds cannot be used for work already accomplished, but recipients of a
previous award may reapply if they need additional support to complete
their work. The amount of this award in 2001 will be $11,500. The deadline
for application is Feb. 1, 2001.

Ronald Baird, director of the National Sea Grant College Program, received
a Presidential Rank Award on Nov. 2 for his accomplishments in helping
to position the United States as a world leader in marine research and
the sustainable development of coastal resources, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration announced last month.

“Throughout his career, Ron has compiled a distinctive record of outstanding
accomplishments,” said D. James Baker, NOAA administrator. “This is a fitting
recognition of the work he has done and the major innovations he continues
to bring to Sea Grant and NOAA as a whole.” NOAA manages Sea Grant, which
acts as a bridge between the federal government and the 29 sea grant universities
across the nation.

The Presidential Rank Award recognizes a small group of career senior
executives. Winners are selected because they deliver great service, foster
partnerships and community solutions to achieve results, and continuously
strive to work efficiently and effectively.

Baird, who was named Sea Grant director in 1996, is considered to have
provided crucial leadership in putting the Sea Grant reauthorization legislation
back on track after it stalled in Congress for two years. His efforts resulted
in the legislation passing with near unanimous support.

Enterprising
investigation

The Rolex Award for Enterprise awarded Elizabeth Nicholls of the Royal
Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, Alberta, as a Rolex Laureate
in Canada for her work on recovering a rare ichthyosaur. Nicholls, curator
of marine reptiles at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, raised funds for six years
before excavating the 23-meter long fossil in 1998. “This ichthyosaur is
so big that it is beyond the scope of anything I, or my museum, would normally
have undertaken,” Nicholls says. Before this discovery, the largest known
marine reptile was a 15-meter-long shonisaur — recovered without a complete
skull from the Nevada Desert. The Rolex award presented to Nicholls this
summer provides $75,000 to help her complete excavations and laboratory
work on the ichthyosaur.

The Rolex Awards
for Enterprise are given every two years. Deadlines for the 2002 awards
vary by location. Enterprising individuals from around the globe are asked
to submit innovative working projects in one of five areas of human endeavor:
science and medicine; technology and innovation; exploration and discovery;
the environment; and cultural heritage. An independent selection panel
will judge these initiatives based on their originality, feasibility, potential
impact, and above all, on whether the applicant demonstrates a spirit of
enterprise. All projects must result in the betterment of humankind. The
winners will be announced in October 2002. For more information, visit
www.rolexawards.com.

Right: Elizabeth Nicholls paints
the skull of an ichthyosaur with vinac, a solution designed to preserve
bone.